." With a pointing expression, he continued, "Even if you say you don't know him, that's fine. That excuse is too lame; no idiot would believe it."
Then, he looked around, moved closer to Finney Hellseg, and whispered, "Just tell me, do you know him or not? I heard yesterday that the Divine Punishment Knight appeared shortly after you left. It seems you also left in a hurry last time."
"I promise I won't tell anyone!"
Finney Hellseg just stared blankly at Billy, glancing at the table, then at his mouth. He wondered if the table could fit inside that mouth.
Fortunately, this thought didn't work due to the 'Golden Grand Evolution Technique.'
Billy was unaware that he had just hovered on the edge of life and death. He had thought about it all night and felt something was wrong. Finney Hellseg wasn't the kind of person who would take time off to join in the fun.
Last time and this time were too abnormal. The Divine Punishment Knight appeared the moment Finney Hellseg left; it was like a scene from a comic book.
At first, Billy had considered the possibility that Finney Hellseg might be the Knight of Divine Punishment, but as his close friend, he simply couldn't imagine what it would feel like if Finney Hellseg were the Knight of Divine Punishment.
Especially after hearing Finney Hellseg's own 'admission,' he was even more convinced that he couldn't possibly be the Knight of Divine Punishment.
However, this answer only made Billy more certain that Finney Hellseg at least knew the Knight of Divine Punishment.
"Really, I swear to God, I will never tell anyone."
Facing Billy's solemn oath, Finney Hellseg finally spoke up: "Ha, don't think I don't know you don't believe in God at all. What's the use of swearing to him?"
"You swore before that you would smash Winry's new boyfriend's head in. I saw him with his head hanging around his neck the day before yesterday."
"It's different!"
Billy replied sheepishly. Winry was a girl he had pursued before, but another guy beat him to it, which made him so angry that he repeatedly swore to Finney Hellseg that he would smash the other guy's head in.
"How is it different?"
Finney Hellseg glanced at Billy, giving him a knowing look.
"I didn't say when I was going to blow him up!"
Billy finally managed to come up with a reason after a long pause.
"..."
Finney Hellseg looked at Billy speechlessly and waved his hand impatiently, "I just had some urgent business yesterday, I don't know any Divine Punishment Knight."
Billy looked unconvinced and continued pitifully, "I won't ask you about his identity, I just want to know a few simple questions."
"Like what!?"
Finney Hellseg looked at Billy, slightly curious about what Billy wanted to know.
"Which of these do you think he would answer?"
Billy excitedly pulled out a notebook from somewhere, filling a page with questions, which stunned Finney Hellseg.
Finney Hellseg glanced at it and found that some of the questions were relatively simple, such as whether the Divine Punishment Knight's favorite color was silver.
But some were quite strange, such as whether the armor could be cleaned, whether it needed repair after transforming in battle, what the armor was made of, how much it weighed, and how heavy it was to wear, etc.
"So? Do you think he'll answer these questions?"
Billy looked at Finney Hellseg expectantly. These were all the questions he'd thought of all night after suspecting Finney Hellseg might know the Divine Punishment Knight; that's how he got those dark circles under his eyes.
"I think you're just bored out of your mind!"
Finney Hellseg snapped, closing the notebook and handing it to him. "Surely you can answer at least one?"
Billy slumped dejectedly onto the table, turning his head to stare at Finney Hellseg and asking again, "Finney Hellseg, how do you know the Divine Punishment Knight?"
"I didn't, I don't know him, don't talk nonsense."
Since Billy believed he wasn't the Divine Punishment Knight, Finney Hellseg didn't insist he believe him. This saved him the trouble of preparing a reason, and also saved the school from losing a table.
"Tch!"
Humans are very subjective creatures, and some people, once they've formed a preconceived notion, find it difficult to change their minds no matter what you say.
Billy was like that; Finney Hellseg's evasive answers only solidified his belief that Finney Hellseg merely knew the Divine Punishment Knight, not him.
"Sigh, if only I knew him!"
Billy looked at Finney Hellseg with envy and resentment, complaining, "I don't know what kind of luck you had to know someone like that."
Finney Hellseg was speechless. Did knowing himself mean he had some kind of luck?!
"Alright, stop worrying about this, class is about to start."
Finney Hellseg wasn't worried at all about Billy telling anyone. Since the day he appeared, the number of people who knew him and his identity could circle New York.
Even if Billy went out and spread the word, without any evidence, he'd only be ridiculed. Even if he said Finney Hellseg knew the Divine Punishment Knight, as long as Finney Hellseg played along, no one would believe him. Finney Hellseg
endured a rather agonizing afternoon of classes, with Billy constantly subtly inquiring about the Divine Punishment Knight. It
was almost non-stop!
Finally, school ended, and Finney Hellseg breathed a sigh of relief. For the next two weekend days, he wouldn't have to worry about his ears being tortured by Billy.
Back home, Skye was still diligently practicing her abilities. With the aid of her equipment, her control over shockwaves had become increasingly refined and skillful.
Finney Hellseg didn't disturb her. After tidying up briefly, he silently opened a portal and began practicing his skills as well.
After his previous fight with Hulk, although he wouldn't admit it, he knew in his heart that in a real fight, the non-flying Hulk might not be able to defeat him, but he probably wouldn't be able to either.
The experience gained from sparring is greatest in victory; Hulk said his favorite thing was fighting, and it wouldn't be easy to trick him into admitting defeat.
Besides, he couldn't always rely on this method. Finney Hellseg also hoped to defeat his enemy with true strength, winning in a way that made his opponent truly convinced.
Actually, after overcoming the crisis of Abomination, there shouldn't be any major events in New York for a while. The biggest danger they would face next was probably whether Loki could open the portal and welcome Thanos's army.
Before that, Finney Hellseg hoped to extract his sixth, or even seventh, ability. If he could become stronger, even if Thanos came to Earth in person, he could drive him away again.
A day passed quickly, and the next day Finney Hellseg came to visit Banner.
"How's it going here?"
In the villa, Finney Hellseg casually asked Banner, who looked completely transformed. He finally looked like someone with seven doctoral degrees, no longer the pathetic figure he used to be, the kind of person who could beg on the street without anyone noticing.
"The life of the rich is truly luxurious,"
Banner said with a wry smile. After years of hiding and running from XZ, he hadn't enjoyed anything for far too long, and suddenly being in this environment was a bit disorienting.
"That's just his personality," Finney Hellseg shrugged. Tony would use the best he could get, and for him, problems that could be solved with money weren't really problems.
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(End of Chapter)